Marker device



March 10, 1970 D. R. FoERSTER 3,500,437

MARKER DEVICE Filed April 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 DE F E C 7' 0 3;:fs

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&9 8M, 4 PM attorneys March 10, 1970 o. R. FOERSTER MARKER DEVICE 2Sheets-sheaf 2 Filed April 9, 1968 IIIA 'IIIIIIII 1820632303 DonaZnZR.Fbez siea 53 KM m4 4 M fliifowneys United States Patent O 3,500,437MARKER DEVICE Donald R. Foerster, Portland, Maine, assignor to The ScottPaper Company, Delaware County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania FiledApr. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 719,979 Int. Cl. G01d 15/20 U.S. Cl. 346-106 6Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A marking device for making a mark ona moving web in response to a signal from a remote actuator such as adefect detector. A pressure transferable marking tape extends between afeed reel and a take up reel and across the striking head of animpression arm. When the arm is rotated, the striking surface carriesthe tape into contact with the moving web. A magnetic drag brake isprovided for the marking tape.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to marking devices ingeneral and, more particularly to an apparatus for marking a rapidlymoving web of paper upon actuation by a remote decision means which isnormally a defect detector. Marking the paper facilitates manuallocating of the defect for inspection at a later time.

Prior art devices of this type are deficient in several aspects and fallinto two primary categories, the first being the crayon marker. Thecrayon marker requires continual adjustment as it wears, which isdifficult to automate due to the slow rate of wear and the inconsistentwear characteristics not only among various crayons, but also within asingle crayon. In addition, crayons frequently break. The secondcategory is the Wet ink or similar inking devices. Such devices tend toproduce marks that smudge or offset. When a fast drying ink is selectedto overcome these difficulties, the marking device often dries out andmust be primed or replaced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, a pressuretransferable marking tape is extended in tension between a feed reel anda take up reel and across the striking head of an impression arm. Thearm is rotated about a pivot at one end causing the striking surface, atthe opposite end, to strike a moving web. Rotation can be provided by anumber of means, a rotary solenoid being preferred. The tape, beinginterposed between the web and the striking head, marks the web. Themarking apparatus provides for incremental traverse of the tape acrossthe striking head from the storage reel to the takeup reel, whilemaintaining tension in the tape.

As it is an object of this invention to make a mark on the web whichwill not smudge or offset, the tape must carry a marking substance ofsuch capabilities.

Conventional typewriter ribbons having been found to have the desiredcharacteristics, it is a further object of this invention to provide anapparatus which will utilize such ribbons.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a marking deviceoperable in response to a remote signal means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theinvention as it is installed on the machinery with which it is used.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the invention looking from thedirection of the web showing the cover in partial section.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the in ention with the top of thecover removed.

F 3,500,437 Ce Patented Mar. 10, 1970 FIG. 4 is a schematic view of theactuating circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, there isshown in perspective view a preferred embodiment of the marker device ofthe present invention, indicated generally by the reference numeral 1.The marker device includes a pivotally mounted marker arm 2 which ismovable between a rest position and an impression position. The specificstructure of the marker arm 2 and the other components of the markerdevice 1 will be described below in greater detail.

At the present time, it is sufiicient to note that the marker device ismounted downstream from and in very close proximity to a plurality ofdefect detectors 3 which respond to defects of a predetermined characterin the moving web 4. Various types of defect detectors can be employedin conjunction with the marker device of the present invention. Atypical defect detector is described in United States Patent No.3,037,381 issued June, 5, 1962 to C. P. Grant et al. for Bump Detector.

The physical and geometrical relationships of the marker device 1, thedefect detectors 3, the moving web 4 and the back-up roll R are quiteimportant to the optimal operation of the present invention. Since thepurpose of the marker device is to provide a visual mark on the movingweb 4 to indicate the presence of a defect in the web, the marker deviceshould be located as close as possible to the defect detectors 3 inorder to avoid elaborate electrical delay circuitry. When the defectdetectors 3 detect a defect in the moving web, the marker device 1 isactuated immediately. Since the web 4 is moving, and the marker deviceis in close physical proximity to the defect detectors 3, the markerdevice will produce a mark on the moving web preferably near one edgethereof and substantially on a line which makes a right angle with saidedge and which passes through the detected defect.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention,unlike a conventional typewriter, must produce a mark on a movingsurface, such as moving web 4. This requirement introduces a number ofproblems which are not encountered in the typewriter art. For example,when the movable marker arm 2 strikes the moving web 4 in its impressionposition, the moving web exerts a force on the marker arm in the flowdirection of the web. If the pivot axis of the movable marker arm 2 isparallel to the flow direction of the web, the force exerted by themoving web on the marker arm will tend to twist or distort the arm. Inaddition, there will be a tendency to smear or elongate the impressionleft by the movable marker arm on the moving surface.

These problems are eliminated in the present invention by mounting themarker device 1 with the pivot axis of the movable marker arm 2substantially at a right angle to the flow direction of the moving web'4. Thus, when the movable marker arm contacts the moving web, there isno twisting or distorting force on the marker arm and the arm is free tomove away from the web. Furthermore, the impression or defect mark whichis transferred to the moving web is well defined and sharp.

The substantially transverse relationship between the pivot axis of themovable marker arm 2 and the flow direction of the moving surface or web4 is one of the important features of the present invention. The othergeometrical relationships of the marker apparatus will be describedbelow in connection wih the description of the marker.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3, the various parts of the apparatus aremounted on a support frame 5. A pair of plugs 6 serve to secure theapparatus to the mounting signal to a rotary solenoid 7 of theconventional type having an internal return spring (not shown). Thesolenoid 7 is mounted on the frame so that its armature shaft 8 extendsthrough and beyond the opposite side of the frame 5. The marker arm 2 issecured at one end to the armature shaft 8 so that actuation of thesolenoid 7 pivots the marker arm 2 toward the moving web. nA adjustablemarker arm stop 9 is mounted on the frame 5 so that from a rest positionagainst the stop 9 the proper amount of rotation is available for themarker arm 2 to operate the ratchet assembly as hereinafter described.

A shaft 10 extends from the frame 5 having a ratchet wheel 11 rotatablymounted thereon. A second shaft 12 also extends from frame 5 on which isfixedly mounted a disc 13. A hold back pawl 14 and a drive pawl 15 aremounted on the frame 5 and the marker arm 2 respectively, both incontact with the ratchet-wheel 11. One or more magnets (three are shownhere) 16 and 16A are circumferentially fixed by an adhesive or otherwiseto the disc 13 and the ratchet wheel ll'respectively.

Thus assembled, the device is ready to receive the tape assemblyconsisting of a conventional typerwite'r ribbon and reels having ferroussides and comprising a tape 17, a feed reel 18 and a take up reel 18A.The feed'reel 18 is placed on the second shaft 12 and the take up reel18A on the shaft 10 such that both reels will rotate clockwise (as seenin FIG. 3) when the tape When substantially all of the tape on the feedreel 18 has been transferred to take up reel 18A, the tape assembly isremoved, inverted and reinstalled exactly a in the case when it isutilized on a typewriter.

In addition to the relationship of the marker arm 2 to the moving web 4as described above, it is important that the tape 17 be positioned sothat its longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to the flowdirection of the web at the point of contact. In this way the forceexerted on the tape 17 by contact with the web is transmittedlongitudinally along the tape 12 to the feed reel 18 where it issubstantially absorbed 'by the resistance of the magnets 16. If thelongitudinal axis of the tape 17 is transverse to the flow direction ofthe web 4, the dragging force upon contact will tend to collapse orwrinkle the tape thereby substantially increasing the risk of a tape jamand other problems.

It isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the preferredembodiment herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for marking a moving web comprising: a support formounting said apparatus adjacent to 17 is transferred from thefeed reel18 to the take up reel 18A. The ferrous sides of the reels 1 8 and 18Acontact the magnets 16 and 16A and are slidably held by magneticattraction.

The tape 17 is threaded from the feed reel 18 through a slot 19 andacross a striking surface 20 of the marker arm 2 and finally to the takeup reel 18A. The striking surface 20 comprises an insert of softermaterial, such as casting resin, so that suitable force may be providedupon the tape 17 againstthe moving web 4 to be marked without cuttingthrough the tape or the web.

Finally, a protective cover 21is secured over the tape assembly. Thecomplete assembly may now be installed on the machine frame by means ofthe plugs 6.

Actuation of the apparatus is initiated as shown in FIG. 4 by anelectrical signal from a defect detector such as a bump detector,illustrated as a switch 3 in FIG. 4. The signal is transmitted through asignal processor for example, for amplification, through the plugs 6 to.the rotary solenoid 7. r

When a defect is detected in the rapidly moving web 4, the rotarysolenoid 7 is thus actuated causing the marker arm 2 to rotate from arest position against the marker arm stop 9 toward the web 4 as the webis carried along the circumference of a rotating roll ('FIG. 1). Oncontact, the marking substance carried byrthe tape 17 .is transferred tothe web 4 due to the pressure of the striking surface 20. The marker arm2 is immediately disengaged from the web 4 due'to the force of thereturn spring in the solenoid 7 which brings it back to the restposition.

The frictional forces upon the tape 17 as it passes across the strikingsurface 20 and through the slot 19 are suflicient to cause an incrementof the tape 17 to be unwound from the feed reel 18 against the brakingforce of the magnets 16 during the striking portion of the cycle. As themarker arm 2 returns to the rest position, the interaction of the drivepawl 15, the ratchet wheel 11, the magnets 1 6A and the take up reel 18Arotate the take up reel 18A an amount which is sufficient to take up theportion of the tape 17 previously unwound.

It is, therefore, appreciated that the magnets 16 and 16A providebraking means to maintain proper tension on the tape 17, the magnets 16Aadditionally acting as a friction clutch to rotate the take up reel 18A.

The slot 19 in addition to the purpose described above, preventsdislodgernent of the tape 17 from its proper position across strikingsurface 20.

said moving Web; an impression arm pivotally mounted at one end on saidsupport, and having at its other end a striking surface; a rotatablefeed reel and a rotatable take up reel mounted on said support, saidreels having at least one ferrous side; a pressure transferable markingtape stored on said feed reel and extending in tension between saidstriking head and said moving web to said take-up reel, .such that,movement of said impression arm to contact with said moving web pullssaid tape from said feed reel by frictional tensile force thereupon andimpresses it against said moving web; means for pivoting said impressionarm from a rest position to an impression position and returning it tothe rest position; at least one magnet fixed to said support and incontact with said ferrous side of said feed reel to inhibit rotationthereof; a rotatable ratchet disc mounted concentrically with saidtake-up reel; a pawl mounted on said impression arm operably engagingsaid ratchet disc; and at least one magnet secured to said ratchet discand in contact with said ferrous side of said takeup reel to rotate saidtakeup reel in cooperation with rotation of said impression arm.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said impression arm has its pivotaxis transverse to the flow direction of said moving web.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said tape has its longitudinal axissubstantially parallel to the direction of movement of said web at thepoint of contact therewith.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said tape carries a markingsubstance which will not smudge or offset.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said impression arm pivoting meanscomprises a rotary solenoid operably connected to said impression arm.

6.' The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said striking surface has a slotfor receiving said tape for preventing dislodgement therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,271,004 7/1918 Barrett et al346-106 X 2,254,197 9/1941 Andre 73-159 2,264,873 12/ 1941 Cockrell25027 2,896,196 7/1959 Hartford et al. 73-459 X 3,170,139 2/1965 Rabinow340-4463 3,404,628 10/1968 Lee 197l51 X JOSEPH W. HARTARY, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

